New Tampa gets public bus line to call its own
HARTline service started to downtown Tampa Monday morning.
By EMILY NIPPS
Published January 23, 2006
TAMPA - They were pioneers of sorts, these 10 or so people who wore business suits and gripped travel coffee mugs. The stood in the dark and waited quietly in a Lowe's parking lot, right where the HARTline sign told them to wait.
At 6:32 a.m., the first purple bus of the day ambled its way into the lot from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
It was official. New Tampa, long riddled with traffic jams and 45-minute commutes to downtown, finally had public bus service to call its own.
"I've never ridden the bus to work before," said Warren Gilbreath, a Hillsborough County water resources engineer who lives in the Pebble Creek subdivision. He brought a book of Sudoku puzzles and the Bible to read on the way home, and he studied a handout HARTline schedule to make sure he'd be back in time to pick up his son from swim practice.
Other riders, such as Wesley Chapel's Mike Palm, brought their laptops to try the Wi-Fi wireless Internet service installed in the new express buses. Michelle Linakis, who works in Tampa's federal courthouse and lives in the Cross Creek area, was simply fed up with the "white-knuckled ride on I-275" and looked forward to sitting back and relaxing on the way to work.
They had two bus routes to choose from. Many opted to skip the 52X New Tampa/University North Express for the quicker, more direct 51X New Tampa Express, which went straight downtown instead of stopping by the University Area Transit Center (both also stop in Wesley Chapel).
Either route was an option that rapidly growing suburban New Tampa has never had, and HARTline and city officials weren't about to let the new offering go unheralded.
City Council member and Hunter's Green resident Shawn Harrison was among the first riders as he gave a polite hello to the others at the Lowe's Park-N-Ride and sipped his Starbucks. Smiling representatives in HARTline shirts greeted and directed the future passengers, who got to ride for free on the first day.
Downtown, at the end of the first 52X ride, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio stood at the bottom of the bus steps and shook hands with the dozen passengers who climbed off, some looking rather surprised to see her beaming face.
"Of course, don't expect this every morning," Iorio joked into a microphone, then gave a 15-second thanks to the commuters for riding the bus. Harrison also spoke to the small group of about 12, which he thought was a good start for a first-ever ride.
"This is just one more piece in the New Tampa transportation puzzle," said Harrison, who has heard his constituents complain about traffic for years. "This coupled with the road improvements scheduled in the coming year should be a step in the right direction."
Putting a bus stop in New Tampa didn't come easily. First there was the question of whether it was even wanted. In 2002, New Tampa residents rejected the idea of extending bus service to their neighborhoods at a forum sponsored by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.
But as traffic problems grew, the lack of mass transit became a hotter topic. New Tampa taxpayers have been assessed the same 0.5 mills that HARTline levies against other communities, but they haven't had bus service - until now.
The express routes cost $2.50 each way and travel Monday through Friday. For more information on HARTline bus service, people can call 813 254-4278 or visit www.hartline.org
Emily Nipps can be reached at 813 269-5313 or nipps@sptimes.com